4th - 6th November 2017

Monday, 6th November: After a very frosty start, a glorious, warm and sunny day with barely a breath of breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There was not too much moving offshore, though four Shags went east and four Great Northern Divers were on the sea, but a very late House Martin circled the old Pontins estate for a while and a Lesser Redpoll went over east. Also, a Painted Lady butterfly was between the Bill and East Beach. Full log below.......

0715-1045hrs:  (OM/C&ME/SR)
Great Northern Diver - 4 os
Gannet - 2E
Shag - 4E
Brent Goose - 4E, 6W
Common Scoter - 3E
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E
Turnstone - 25 ob
Grey Plover - 15E
Redshank - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 3W
auk sp - 2W
House Martin - 1 (over old Pontins estate) drifted off E
Meadow Pipit - 3W
Pied Wagtail - 10W
Skylark - 1W
Lesser Redpoll - 1E
Goldfinch - 25W
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens
Goldcrest - 5 gardens

Painted Lady in Selsey (SR)

Northcommon Farm: A Ring Ouzel was seen in the first paddock on the left as you go down Golf Links Lane. (JW).

Ferry Pool: Just five Snipe were on the concealed pool and c40 Teal and c100 Lapwing were on the main pool. (AH)

Church Norton: An interesting morning, with two redhead Goosanders and two Ruddy Shelducks in the harbour on the rising tide, before both sets flew off west, and offshore the first four Slavonian Grebes were loafing with three Eider and six Great Crested Grebes towards the end of the spit. 

The harbour was full of waders, but nothing too unusual, and a Pale-bellied Brent Goose was in the harbour before joining the 800+ Brent Geese that were split between the harbour and the arable fields. Also, a Greylag went over west.

There were two male Bullfinches in the churchyard and a couple of Mistle Thrushes were about, too, whilst along the spit there were at least a dozen Skylarks, c50 Meadow Pipits and a huge mixed flock of Linnets and Greenfinches. (AH/AW/OM/BI)

Slavonian Grebes (above), Eider, Ruddy Shelducks, Goosanders, Brent Geese, Linnets and Greenfinches (AH), Bullfinches & Greylag Goose (AW) at Church Norton

(above) Cropped and distant shot of the Pale-bellied Brent Goose in the harbour; it seemed to mostly keep its distance from the main Dark-bellied flock (below). (OM) 

 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.....I could only locate three juveniles amongst this lot. (OM)

This afternoon the Curlew sandpiper was roosting with the Dunlin flock on the old harbour mouth and two Little Grebes were on the water. (AW)

Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin (above) & Little Grebe at Church Norton (AW)

Medmerry: Ham and Porthole Farms - There were two Bearded Tits around the ponds at Ham this afternoon, and two Swallows went over. Also, the Barn Owl was out hunting again at Porthole Farm. (BO'D)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was fairly quiet here early on, though a couple of Dartford Warblers, at least ten Stonechats, c20 Yellowhammers, a few Skylarks and Reed Buntings and 100+ Meadow Pipits were along the banks and a Green Sandpiper was by the first sluice.

There were no other waders beyond 50 or so Lapwings on the Stilt Pool, where there were also six Gadwall, c40 Teal and c100 Wigeon, plus 50 Canada Geese. (AH)

Dartford Wartbler (above), Skylark, Stonechats & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)

Sunday, 5th November: A bright, sunny and crisp morning after a chilly start, with a light to moderate NW wind.....

Selsey Bill: It was pretty quiet again, though a Lesser Redpoll went over and a Great Northern diver was on the sea. Full log below. (SH/PB/IP/PM/AH/JA/SR)
(0650-0900hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Gannet - 4E, 4W
Brent Goose - 6E, 7W
Common Scoter - 2E
Sparrowhawk - 1p
Mediterranean Gull - 4W
auk sp - 1E, 3W
Stock Dove - 2S
Wood Pigeon - 30S
Meadow Pipit - 10W
Pied Wagtail - 7W, 1p
Chiffchaff - 2p
Lesser Redpoll - 1W
Linnet - 5W
Chaffinch - 2p
Goldfinch - 21N, 28p

Chiffchaff at the Bill (AH)

Selsey: I opened our curtains at 7.30am to find a Ring Ouzel on our lawn, in the north of the village! (AW)

Ring Ouzel in a Selsey garden (AW)

Selsey: A Grey Wagtail has been frequenting our garden, near the Lifeboat station, for the last week.....presumably the regular returning bird from last winter. (SW)

Grey Wagtail in a Selsey garden (SW)

North Wall: A Great White Egret flew NW across the area at approx. 0815hrs but could not be relocated (more details later). (DM)

Otherwise, generally regular fare this morning, with plenty of birds, but nothing out of the ordinary..... there were plenty of Wigeon, 250 Lapwing and c.30 Golden Plover, plus two Spotted Redshank in White's creek, whilst a flyover Brambling was the best of the rest. (OM)

 Distant record shots of the Great White Egret (dark area on wing apparently shadow) (DM)

Pagham Lagoon: The drake Goldeneye was still present, with 15 Tufted Duck and a Pochard, plus 4 Great Crested and 10 Little Grebes, whilst the margins and hedgerows produced a Water Rail and just 2 Chiffchaffs, 5 Goldcrests and 2 Cetti's Warblers. (OM)

Goldeneye on Pagham Lagoon (BI)

Ferry Pool: There were nine Snipe roosting on the concealed pool, though the main pol held just 40 Lapwing, two Shelduck and 30 Teal, with similar of the latter, plus a couple of Gadwall and a few Mallard in the adjacent rife. (AH)

Snipe (above), Gadwall, Teal, Mallards and Coots at the Ferry (AH)

Ferry Channel on the very high tide (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were 65 Curlews and an Oystercatcher on the field ear-marked for development this morning, with a pair of Stonechats, a couple of Meadow Pipits and a Mistle Thrush around the fields. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)

Curlews (above) & Sparrowhawk and Rook at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Church Norton: The most unusual sight was three Goosanders - a male and two females - that flew west along the beach late this morning, and also two Eider were offshore.
Otherwise there was plenty of activity in the harbour, though nothing particularly unusual, including 500+ Brent Geese, a Kingfisher, a few Pintail among plenty of Wigeon and Teal and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits and a dozen Knot among large numbers of Grey Plover and Dunlin.

A Firecrest was with three or four Goldcrests between the Severals, with a couple of pairs of Stonechats in the vicinity, three Mistle Thrushes were around Greenlease Farm and two Siskins dropped in with the Linnet flock along the spit, where there were also up to a dozen Skylarks present. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)

Goosanders (above), Stonechat, Skylark, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot and Grer Plovers & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake complex: There were 54 Common Pochards on Ivy Lake along with 26 Tufted Ducks and 18 Great Crested Grebes this morning. There was also a pair of Black Swans present, along with their brood, although their "wild" credentials may be in question as they were later being hand fed from the chalets! On Nunnery Lake were six Gadwalls, West Trout Lake held plenty of Coots & Black-headed Gulls and on East Trout Lake were two Greylag Geese and 100+ Canada Geese. There was little along the paths other than a few Blue & Great Tits, a Cetti's Warbler and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers. (BI)

Black Swans, above, & Great Spotted Woodpecker at Ivy Lake (BI)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Marsh Farm - This afternoon there were four Greenshanks near the poplars, four Stonechats along the banks and a Peregrine and two Buzzards over. (S&SaH)

Medmerry:  Porthole Farm - The Barn Owl was out hunting at dusk again today. (AH)

Barn Owl at Medmerry (AH)

Saturday, 4th November: After all the fine weather, a thoroughly wet and miserable morning, with a brisk breeze veering round from south-west to north-west and plenty of heavy showers, though brightening a little later on......

Selsey: A totally unexpected bird - a Tree Sparrow - dropped into the garden (on the north of the village) briefly this morning, before quickly moving off to other gardens. Also a Fieldfare was briefly present, too. (JA)

Selsey Bill: A pretty wet watch didn't produce too much, though both an Arctic Skua and a Bonxie went west. Full log below.

(0700-0845hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Gannet - 3E, 25W

Common Scoter - 3E

Red-breasted Merganser - 5W

Arctic Skua - 1W

Bonxie - 1W

Common Gull - 2E

Kittiwake - 1E, 7W

auk sp - 2E

Pied Wagtail - 4W

Red-breasted Merganser (above) & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

JA and IP not really enjoying the weather! (AH)

Selsey East Beach: No sign of the Rosy Starling in the area but lots of very mobile Starling flocks, plus a female Stonechat on Selsey Common, a single Great Northern Diver (adult still retaining quite a bit of breeding plumage) west at 12.15, and a very distant diver sp east at 12.30. (J-PC)

Ferry Pool: There were eight Snipe on the concealed pool, and on the main pool there were c90 roosting Redshanks, c250 Lapwing, c50 Teal, 120 Wigeon, four Black-tailed Godwits, four Shelduck and six Shoveler, with a pair of Gadwall in the adjacent rife. (AH)

Snipe (above), Gadwall & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were plenty of Dunlin and Grey Plover on the mud and then roosting around the old harbour mouth and concrete blocks, plus about a dozen Knot and a Bar-tailed Godwit, whilst the Whimbrel was in its usual area.

Five Red-breasted Mergansers were in the harbour, along with the usual Wigeon and Teal, whilst at least 500 Brent Geese were in the arable field behind the churchyard.

Unsurprisingly, the bushes were quiet, though a Redwing and three or four Song Thrushes were around the churchyard, the odd Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit moved through and at least 100 Linnets were along the beach. (AH/AW) 
Later in the morning the Brent Geese moved en masse into the harbour and there were six Little Grebes and at least 10 Great Crested Grebes out on the water whilst the Spoonbill was feeding along the edge of Tern Island. There was also a Firecrest near the bench and 3 Lesser Redpolls dropped into the trees briefly accompanied by a few Goldfinches. (BI/JPC et al)
This afternoon there were 47 Avocets along the west side of the harbour, the two Peregrines were out in the middle, a Kingfisher went through and there were also a Chiffchaff and four Goldcrests along the bushes. (S&SaH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Teal, Brent Geese, Grey Plovers and Dunlin & Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

The regular Whimbrel at Church Norton (J-PC)

1st - 3rd November 2017

Friday, 3rd November: Fortunately, there was no repeat of yesterday's fog, despite the forecast, and it was a pleasantly mild and fairly sunny morning, with just a gentle north-easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: It was pretty quiet again, with very little overhead and just the odd Brent Goose, Great Northern Diver and Shag moving offshore, though there was a Stonechat briefly along the front of the Oval Field and a Chiffchaff and one or two Goldcrests in the ornamental bushes in the new estate on the old Pontin's site. Full log below... (C&ME/AH/MO-W/JA/SR)
(0700-1100hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 2W, 1os
Gannet - 32W
Shag - 3E
Brent Goose - 13W
Shelduck - 2W
Common Scoter - 2W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W
Turnstone - 21p
Common Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Razorbill - 2E
auk sp 8W
Meadow Pipit - 2E
Pied Wagtail - 13N
Stonechat - 1p
Chiffchaff - 1p
Goldcrest - 3p
Long-tailed Tit - 7p

Great Northern Diver (above), Shags, Chiffchaff & Goldfinch at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Snipe on the concealed pool, and on the main pool there were three Black-tailed Godwits, four Shelduck, c150 Lapwing and c40 Teal, with c100 Wigeon on the adjacent field. (AH)

Snipe (above), Lapwing & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The bushes were quiet save a couple of Goldcrests and a pair of Siskins among a flighty flock of 50 or so Goldfinches, whilst along the beach and spit there were around a dozen Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and at least 100 Linnets.

The Spoonbill was roosting in the harbour, a couple of Kingfishers flew through and there were several hundred Brent Geese and plenty of Wigeon and Pintail on the water at high tide, whilst around the concrete blocks and the old harbour mouth there were a Curlew Sandpiper, a handful of Knot and the Whimbrel among the many Grey Plover, Dunlin, Redshank and Turnstones. (AH)

Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin, Knot and Grey Plover, Dunlin and Grey Plover, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Brent Geese & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)

There were two Dartford Warblers showing along hte west side at midday, with a Black-necked Grebe in the harbour on the high tide. (MD)

At least one Dartford Warbler was still showing this afternoon along the West Side. (AW)

Dartford Warbler at Church Norton (AW)

Thursday, 2nd November: After a misty but sunny start, a huge bank of fog rolled in, reducing visibility down to 100m for an hour or more, before it burnt off to leave another bright and still morning.....

Hide and Seek: With the imminent construction of a new hide at the Ferry, a timely reminder  has been forwarded to me by Bob Lord, then the Warden of Pagham Harbour, recalling the days when the old hide was shiny and new!

He says, "Reading the blog about the RSPB's replacement Ferry Hide reminds me of 15 April 1982 when the Youth Opportunities Programme lads, and others, posed for the Chichester Observer photographer on that wet and windy day." 

So far so good, but Bob went on, "The others, including yourself that is - I think you were supposed to be at work and took some time out - hence being a bit camera-shy!!! - You actually stood next to Bob Edgar against the hide if I recall correctly. Please see attached photo (bit grainy I'm afraid) and the short write-up. Happy days!!"

Ah,,,,erm...yes....I recall now Bob. Happy days indeed! (OM)

The official hand-over of the new Ferry Pool hide on 15th April 1982 (photo/article Chi Observer, per Bob Lord).....and for the record I am there but seem to be missing from view! (OM) 

 

Selsey Bill: Fairly quiet, even without the fog.....A smart male Brambling was in the small ornamental garden on the estate (old Pontins site) before being flushed all too soon by an inquisitive resident, whilst a Lesser Redpoll went over and a handful of Goldcrests were present. (OM)    Full log below......

0700-1100hrs:  (OM/C&ME/MJ)

Gannet - 1E, 8W

Grey Heron - 1E

Brent Goose - 9E, 7W

Common Scoter - 2E

Mediterranean Gull - 2W

Common Gull - 1W, 1ob

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1W

Woodpigeon - 30W

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 gardens

Pied Wagtail - 6W

Greenfinch - 6, estate gardens

Brambling - 1, estate gardens

Goldfinch - 25W, 15p

Lesser Redpoll - 1W

Goldcrest - 10 gardens

Chiffchaff - 2 gardens

Greenfinch at the Bill - becoming increasingly scarce here - and the ornamental garden offering the last vestiges of any habitat on the 'old Pontins estate.' (OM)

Selsey, West:  I made a brief visit to several sites, but all were quiet or worse....the best I could do was at Drift Lane/Warner Lane paddocks where just 2 Stonechats, 2 Chiffchaffs and 2-3 Goldcrests were about it! (OM) 

Ferry Pool: There were still four Snipe on the pool, along with a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, six Shelduck, c60 Teal and c150 Lapwing, with similar of Wigeon on the adjacent field. Also, a Buzzard was feeding on prey at the back. (AH)

Buzzard (above), Black-tailed Godwit & Shelducks and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: The Dartford Warbler was still present, but highly mobile, beyond the end of the pool, but beyond a couple of Stonechats and a couple of fly-over Skylarks, passerines were in short supply. A total of 55 Avocets were roosting at the end of Ferry Channel, and there were plenty of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shelduck on the water, and Redshanks, Dunlin, Curlews and Grey Plover on the odd bits of dry land. (AH)

Two halves of the Avocet flock (above), Pintails, Curlew and grey Plover & Stonechat along Long Pool (AH)

North Wall: The Spoonbill was viewable from the wall on the high tide, but there weren't too many waders to be found, besides a few fly-over Snipe. Along the wall there were a Kingfisher, a Stonechat, a Cetti's Warbler and a few Reed Buntings. (PB)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Merlin was active around the Easton Lane end early on, and along the banks there were at least six Stonechats and a dozen or so Yellowhammers and Meadow Pipits, but all that could be seen on the Stilt Pool as the fog descended were a Snipe, a pair of Gadwall and a few Lapwings. (AH)

Yellowhammers (above) & Stonechat at Medmerry (AH)

Church Norton: The Dartford Warbler was still along the west side this afternoon, whilst a female Pintail was near Church Norton with five Shelducks and there were four Stonechats along the Severals. Also, the flock of Brent Geese has grown to well over 300. (AW)

Pintail (above) & Stonechat at Church Norton (AW)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - A Barn Owl was hunting around the fields again this evening. (AH)

Barn Owl (above) & a dramatic moon at Medmerry (AH)

Wednesday, 1st November: A lovely morning, with just a light southerly breeze and plenty of warm sunshine.....

Selsey Bill: As has been noted, good weather doesn't always make for good bird-watching, and the Bill was very quiet early on, with just an Eider west and a Kittiwake and a couple of Guillemots east of note and almost no overhead migration...though later on a Bonxie and a Red-throated Diver were among a wider range of species seen. Full log below....
(0635-1000hrs)   .(AH/GH/C&ME)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
diver sp - 1W
Great Crested Grebe -1W
Gannet - 8E, 11W
Brent Goose - 3W
Common Scoter - 2E
Eider - 1W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Great Skua - 1W
skua sp - 1W
Kittiwake - 1E, 2W

Common Gull - 2W

Guillemot - 5E
auk sp 25E, 15W, 6os
Wood Pigeon - 20W
Rock Pipit - 1N
Grey Wagtail - 1E
Pied Wagtail - 2N
Chiffchaff - 1p
Goldfinch - 65W

Ferry Pool: There were at least four Snipe on the pool, plus six Black-tailed Godwits, six Shelduck, c60 Teal and an increase to at least 300 Lapwings, whilst most of the 150 or so Wigeon were on the adjoining cropped field. (AH)

Snipe (above) & Wigeon on the ferry (AH)

Long Pool/West Side: A Dartford Warbler was in the gorse in the old 'Hay Bales' area, well away from yesterday's sighting, but there wasn't much else along the side of the harbour. Along the Long Pool there were a pair of Stonechats, half a dozen Reed Buntings and similar of very flighty Goldcrests, plus two calling Cetti's Warblers, but there was little to be seen in Ferry Channel, on the high tide, beyond a fleeting Kingfisher and a few Wigeon and Teal. (AH)

Dartford Warbler along the West Side (AH)

Church Norton: There was a busy group of Goldcrests and Long-tailed Tits around the hide area, but not too much else, whilst along the beach and spit there were just half a dozen Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and c50 each of Greenfinch and Linnet.

Two Peregrines were out in the harbour, the Whimbrel was in its usual area, and among the roosting waders there were at least 80 Grey Plovers and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwit, with a couple of Pintail among the Wigeon and Teal, and there were also at least 200 Brent Geese and 30 Shelduck on the water. (AH)

Whimbrel (above), Goldcrest, Meadow Pipit, Peregrine, Grey Plovers & Shelducks at Church Norton (AH)

Chi GPs - Drayton Pits: The most notable feature was an obvious influx of Pochards, with a fairly tight group of 47 birds present. That apart, it was standard late autumn fare, with 24 Shoveler, 27 Gadwall and 8 Snipe on or around the lakes. Four Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk were soaring, whilst in the hedgerows and sallows were 12 Chiffchaffs, a few Goldcrests, 4 Cetti's Warblers and 10 Song Thrushes.  (OM)

Pochards at Drayton GPs (OM)